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Last month, President Biden signed the $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan Act. The law will not only provide much-needed support to the American people as we all continue to manage hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will also lead to a substantial reduction in poverty in this country.

The American Rescue Plan Act recognizes a fundamental reality – this pandemic has been particularly difficult on already vulnerable individuals and families.  People living in poverty, Black and Brown communities, and immigrant families all have suffered disproportionately from COVID-19.  The rescue plan means more resources and opportunities for those communities, which will in turn mean better public health and economic outcomes for all of us – because we are one society, one economy – and collective success and opportunity benefits everyone.

In particular, the new law – which was introduced by President Biden on the first day he assumed the Presidency and finally passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in March – will have a tremendously positive impact on child poverty in this country. 

Welcome to MLRI’s new blog.

We plan to use this platform to share MLRI news, helpful information on our initiatives, and perspectives on important topics related to poverty law.  2020 was one of the most difficult years in all of our memories. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests highlighting the importance of racial equity could not have made it clearer that the work we do is important to helping people living in poverty, Black and Brown communities, and other vulnerable residents.

MLRI has been a nationally recognized poverty law and policy center for more than five decades. We work together with advocacy and community partners to protect the rights of low income individuals and families.  Throughout the last 50 years, we’ve had hundreds of victories — large and small — and led groundbreaking initiatives that have benefitted low-income people in Massachusetts.

We are working on a number of initiatives related to housing protections, racial equity, immigrants’ rights, food insecurity, and many more.  We plan to use this blog to inform you of our work and update you on our progress.

Thank you for your interest in our work and we look forward to sharing more with you in the weeks and months to come.